Do you really believe your intestines are "self cleaning?"?

What do you mean by self-cleaning?

You have to be “cleaned out” before a colonoscopy because otherwise there will be stool in there, which makes it hard for the cameras to see. Of course it is natural for stool to be in there and the organ is designed to be able to handle that, including all the bacteria associated with that, without problems (usually).

Being “cleaned out” before childbirth does not happen anymore.

@Mariah I mean I’ve read that our colon doesn’t need any kind of medicines or enemas to stay empty because Nature takes care of cleaning it out. Crazy.

@Cupcake really? That’s terrific news! Or does it depend on the physician?

I’m confused? The colon isn’t meant to stay empty. The colon is meant to hold stool.

They meant that it only holds stool briefly then cleans itself .

OK. But after you expel some stool (which of course the colon is designed to do naturally), new stool from food you ate recently comes in soon to refill it, so it’s never really empty unless you fast, which is why you have to do that before a colonoscopy.

Furthermore, fasting alone doesn’t empty it out fully, and I would guess that’s because the human body has evolved to only feel the need to have a bowel movement when the colon gets to be a bit full (someone actually in the medical field could comment further, I’m sure). So that’s why we have to take a prep before a colonoscopy, so that it will be totally empty for the cameras to see.

If someone is claiming that the colon can totally empty itself without a laxative or enema, they’re dead wrong. I was still having small occasional bowel movements after fasting for 19 days a few years ago (I was on IV nutrition).

I don’t think this has a chance in hell of getting anywhere. It might have a slim chance in Fluther though.

You’re really going to have to define what you mean by ‘self-cleaning’ and ‘clean itself out’. No one believes that your colon is a magical polished tube. Your small colon absorbs nutrients and so is full of quite a bit at pretty much all times, and your lower colon transports waste and absorbs water from it, and as mentioned waste tends to get pushed along by more waste behind it, so it’s not typically very empty.

They are both, however, capable of getting rid of various bad things (that is one of the functions of diarrhea and vomiting, in extreme cases), as well as just funneling things along so stuff you’ve ingested that your body doesn’t need are gotten rid of (like, say, gum. that whole ‘four year’ thing is complete bull). You’ve got limited space in there, after all. Very few substances are capable of sticking around in there. You have peristaltic waves pushing everything along your whole GI, mucus being produced by most membranes which makes it hard for substances to stick to the walls, a (generally) constant influx of solids and liquids pushing things along, a constant sloughing of epithelial cells (the ones that line the inside of the track) that will take with them anything that’s stuck to them as they die, handy microbiota (like E. coli) that eat things you can’t and attack other bacteria that get in, and white blood cells that take care of things your microbiota can’t handle. So no, it’s not shiny and pure, but it generally is ‘clean’, by various definitions.

Cupcake is correct. You go in and have a baby, and whatever comes out, comes out.

For me at least, my guts eliminate any and all material that they process in a timely manor (by themselves naturally) with no accumulation. That’s self cleaning enough for me.

Here’s how I think the logic works:
Vegetables contain fiber
Meat does not
Not eating fiber can cause constipation
Eating too much meat can cause constipation
Constipation=red meat in colon.

Obviously meat does not sit undigested in one’s colon, but it is true that too much meat (or any non-fibrous food) and too little fiber can cause constipation. I doubt anyone has ever been constipated from too much broccoli- usually that causes the opposite problem.

The Dr. asked if I wanted an enema when I went into labor and I said yes. The embarrassment of crapping everywhere in front of every one was too great.

Do you poop?

I have to agree with @Mariah on this one. Obviously she knows more about this, but it is normal for the intestines/colon to not be totally “cleaned out” and to have some stool in there. There are some situations that warrant a more complete clean-out that can only really be achieved with artificial means, but that doesn’t mean the intestines don’t take care of themselves. However, there are some foods that make it a little more difficult for the intestines to fully empty, i.e. what you said about fiber, @Aster. Certainly more fiber promotes healthier intestinal function.

So, yes, I believe mine are “self-cleaning” to a degree, but sometimes I skimp on the fiber and run into some issues lol

@ragingloli Good one!

Meat does have fiber (and plants have protein), though to a lesser extent than some plants. Constipation can be caused by too little fiber in your diet, as you mention. But it’s not, as you say, a result of/leading to red meat just hanging out in your colon. It’s just undifferentiated waste in you colon at that point (and it’s composed of whatever non-absorbed components of the non-fibrous things you ate). Constipation is just stool backing up (well, not ‘just’, but at the simplest). Your colon is still working, and is still self-cleaning, just less well because it’s getting jammed. In that situation, usually you do need some help. Much like how your immune system is usually pretty damn good at working, too, but occasionally it needs some help from an antibiotic.

Slight revision, meats do not contain dietary fiber unless it’s somehow added, I was thinking of something else. Everything else still applies, though.

@Dutchess_III crapping everywhere in front of everyone? Never heard of this.